Independent wheel suspension for automobiles



Oct. 19, 1937. A. PERRON INDEPENDENT WHEEL SUSPENSIQN FOR AUTOMOBILES' Original Filed Oct. 3, 1935 lllll I| Z ful-..

n o 0 NM ofoym 6 o o Joao.

j 4f I. a -ELL m Patented (ct.` 19, 1937.

INDEPENDENT WHEEL` SUSPENSION FOR AUTOMOBILES A Adrian Perron, Detroit, Mich.

Application Octoberv 3, 1935, Serial No. 43,318

Y Renewed February 10, 1937 2 Claims.

My invention relates to independent wheel suspensions for automobiles, and its principal object is to provide means whereby each individual wheel -is capable of independently movingY to acl commodate itself to inequalities and variations in road surfaces.

Indevices of this character as hitherto constructed each of the several wheels has been mounted upon a vertically or radially movable supporting element and each of the elements has been provided with a separate resilient cushion ing mea-ns.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction to which all of the wheel supporting i elements are arranged to react upon a common centrally disposed spring element, whereby the construction is lvery much simplified and the cost of manufacture reduced, and at the same time a more efficient operation is obtained.

With these and other objects in view,'I will now describe a preferred embodiment of my said invention with reference to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a plan View showing thechassis of an automobile showing the general arrangement of the essential parts.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary pla-n view, partly in section, illustrating one method of guiding the wheel supporting elements, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view showing a modification, and

Figure 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Figure 5,

Like characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

I, I are the side members of the chassis frame and 2, 2 are transverse members which connect the same. 3, 3 are the front wheels and 4, 4 the rear wheels, each of the said wheels being provided with a brake drum 5 and associated brake mechanism, the latter being omitted from the drawing since they form no part of the present invention. The front wheels 3, 3 are pivoted at 6, to short axles 'I and are provided with any conventional steering mechanism, not shown. The wheels 4, 4 are mounted upon short axles 8 which are ,connected by flexible couplings 9 to the centrally disposed differential gear III, of any ordinary construction, driven from the motor by the usual propeller shaft I and its associated gear shift mechanism. The front axles I are rigidly connected to substantially horizontal levers I2, while the rear axles 8 are mounted in bearings I 3 which are rigidly connected to levers I4, I4. Levers I2, I2 are keyed upon short transverse shafts I5 mounted in bearings I5 upon the chassis, andthe levers I4, I4 are keyed upon similar shafts I'I, E? supported in bearings E8, the bearings I6 and I3 on each side being preferably formed in a single structure bolted Yor otherwise Ysecured to the underside of the chassis frame. On the inner ends of the shafts I5 and Il are keyed short levers ISI which are in general of arcuate form and are provided with rounded convex extremities' 2! which normally rest upon the underside of a plate 2| The plate 2| is provided with a series of vertical. pins or guide members 22 which are slidably mounted in an upper plate 23 rigidly secured to the chassis frame, and between the plates 2| and 23 area. series of helical springs 24 which surH round the pins 22 and are held in position thereby, the arrangement being such that vertical movements of the extremities 20 of the levers I are imparted to the plate 2| and resisted by the springs 24, so that each wheel is at all times. maintained in contact with the supporting road surface.

In order to prevent lateral displacement of the levers due to the side stresses upon the respective wheels, each of the levers I2, I2, I4, I4 is provided with a stud 25 having an enlarged head 26 Yof circular or other shape adapted to slidably engage in a channel-like member 2l secured to the corresponding chassis frame member I, as shown more in detail in Figure 4 of the drawing. The member 21 is further provided with closed ends 2'II by which the vertical movement of the lever is limited.

In the modification shown in Figures 5 and 6 the reaction from each wheel, Vinstead of being taken upon the corner o-f the plate 2| adjacent thereto as shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, is taken upon the corner diagonally opposite thereto. For example, as more clearly indicated in Figure 5, reaction from the lever I2I isV applied to the plate at 29 I while the reaction from the lever |22 is applied at 2632. Similarly, reaction from the lever I4I is applied at 223 and from the lever |42 at 204. In order to elect this the lever I2I is keyed to a shaft I5I to which is secured the short lever I9I, while the. lever |22 is keye'd upon aV sleeve'l52rwhich surroundsthe shaft I5I, the said sleeve carrying the short Y lever |92 as shown.

Similarly, the lever I4I is keyed upon a shaft |53 which carries the lever |93, and the lever |42 is keyed upon the sleeve |54 which carries the short levers |9| and i93Y to project therethrough. It

`will be understood thatfthe bearings |8| are,

formed with an enlarged bore in which the sleeves |52 and |54 are oscillably mounted. It will be observed from the foregoing description and by reference to the drawing that I have provided'instrumentalities Which are eminently adapted to the purpose outlined, and while IV have herein described a preferredrembodiment of my invention, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art `to which the same refers that changes in Vdetail may be made to meetl different requirements Without departing from the spirit of my invention as' defined in the appended claims.

What VI claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: v

1. A suspension for motor-driven vehicles comprising, in combination, a chassis frame., a pair of transverse shafts oscillably supported upon said frame, a pair of forwardly extending lever arms each securedk to one of said shafts, a pair of independent front axles upon the free ends of said lever arms, wheels mounted uponv said axles, a second pair of transversev shafts oscillably supported upon said frame, a pair of rearwardly ex- 'tending lever arms each secured tol one of said last-mentioned shafts, a pair of independent rear axles uponv the free ends of said Ylever arms,

VWheels mountedV upon said rear axles, means for Vmaintaining said lever arms injparallel relationship with said frame, a substantially v'centralyieldingly supported memberupon vsaid frame, and levers upon said transverse shafts: adapted to bear upon said member whereby vertical movement of said lever arms `and said Wheels is resisted. Y ,Y K

2. A suspension for motor-driven vehicles comprising, in combination, a chassisfframe, a pair of transverse shafts oscillab-ly supported upon` Y said frame, a pair of forwardly'extending leverV arms each secured to one of said shafts, a pair of independent front axles uponthe free ends of plression springs between said plateA and said j25 Y member, and levers upon said transverseshafts` adaptedto bear upon said plate wherebyvertical movement of said lever arms and said Wheels is resisted.

ADRIAN PERRON. 

